Michigan's Legendary Cliff Jumping is a Rush for Thrill Seekers
Your premier guide to Black Rocks in Marquette -- and how my experience ended in a puddle of blood.
When you go on a trip, you usually have some idea of what you might want to do. Maybe a world-famous museum is at the top of your list. Maybe a Michelin restaurant caught your fancy. Maybe you're even just looking forward to laying on the beach and doing nothing.
For most people, going home covered in blood does not make the top of that list. Or at all.
Black Rocks is located in Presque Isle Park at 2 Peter White Dr. in Marquette, Michigan. Marquette is way up in the upper peninsula of Michigan, looking across the magnitude of Lake Superior at a very far away Canada.
Presque Isle Park draws in many local visitors and tourists alike due to its natural beauty and close proximity to the shorefront, especially so in both the height of summer and when fall colors abound.
However, its biggest draw is undeniably the cliff-jumping sensation of Black Rocks.
Black Rocks is an ancient exposed nonconformity, which, geologically, develops where sediments are deposited on top of an eroded surface of igneous or metamorphic rocks.
Depending on where you jump, the fall can be anywhere between around 20-30 feet into the frigid and unforgiving depths of Lake Superior.
Lake Superior is the world's biggest by-area freshwater lake; it's also the deepest and the coldest of the 5 Great Lakes that surround mainly Michigan and Ontario!
Generally, lukewarm water (think bath water for a child, not your scalding hot shower from hell) sits around the human body temperature, between 32 C (90 F) and 37 C (100 F). Lake Superior rarely gets warmer than a cool 15 C (60 F) and more commonly sits at a very uncomfortable 1 or 2 C (33-35 F). At my time of jumping, unbeknownst to my friend and I, the water temperature was 1.5 C (34 F).
Keep in mind that experts (including the World Health Organization) don't recommend prolonged swimming without a wetsuit in waters below 21 C (70 F) because it can slow your heart rate, body temperature, and even affect your ability to breathe among other symptoms.
This is especially a danger in cold-water cliff jumping. The sudden shock of cold water can sometimes cause an involuntary gasp or breath, leading to drawing in large amounts of water and drowning. Even my own friend told me that she had to consciously remember to make herself breathe -- it was almost like the cold made her forget how to. Many jumpers attest to a similar shock and dyspnea. Then, you have to be able to make it to shore too, either by a climb or swim.
Marquette Public Safety officials don't encourage this activity either due to the notoriously cold water alongside the frequent rip currents known to be in the area.
If the adrenaline thrill is too enticing, there are definitely ways to make the jump safer. I'm not any sort of safety instructor, so please do your own research in addition to mine.
Never jump or swim alone.
Limit time in the water and prioritize staying warm and dry.
Never jump in head-first.
Jump OUT -- away from the rock face.
Make sure all swimmers have cleared from the area; you don't want to land on someone underwater, so watch who has jumped.
This was my second time jumping at Black Rocks. My first jump was in the height of summer when the water was at its warmest. The sun was out and the air temperature was warm too, meaning you dried off and warmed up quickly after jumping. It was a fun activity and everyone made it home safe, which is a win in my book!
This time, though, everything was different. It was just me and my one friend whom I was traveling with. The sky was overcast and dreary. The whole trail was empty -- which made for good parking at least -- but it should've been our first warning.
Still, we weren't nervous. I'd done this jump before, and I think my friend had too. Either way, we are both afraid-for-nothing adventurers. After all, we didn't think there was anything to be afraid of.
We both stood at the edge of the cliff and looked down at the deep opaque blue waves beneath us. We watched as they crashed and splashed up the rock face, counting down.
"3...2...1..."
And then we both jumped.
The cold was like a punch to the gut and a gunshot to the lungs. My feet never reached the sandy bottom; I had no idea whether it was just inches beneath my feet or the more likely several more feet down.
I'm a good swimmer compared to the average individual. I actually swam competitively for 3 years. I'm very comfortable in the water.
This was different.
I kept swimming towards what I only hoped was up, and couldn't seem to find my way out. For a second I wasn't even sure I was still underwater. I couldn't tell. I was completely disoriented and, worse, I was out of air.
Finally, I broke the surface. Gasping, I look and my friend had yet to surface. I scan the water around me, but everything was too dark and choppy that I couldn't see anything at all. I call out her name as if she would hear me, and panic builds. I am about to dive back under and see how well the blind could find the blind when her head finally and thankfully appears. She's sputtering and gasping but orients herself quickly, starting to follow me toward shore. I stay close to her to hear her breathe and make sure I can grab her head if she were to begin to struggle to stay above water. When we finally can touch the bottom -- which felt like way too long of a swim -- she finally looks at me.
"You're covered in blood."
I glance down and, indeed, there was bright red blood running down my hands and chest. I think I said something along the lines of "Oh, cool." I washed most of it off as I walked out of the water, but I still continued to bleed into my hand. The air temperature was not warm by any means, but the drastic difference as opposed to the water temperature made it feel like a summer's day.
I could now focus on the blood situation. Turns out the insanely cold temperature of the water had somehow broken the blood vessels in my face, causing massive epistaxis (blood from the nose).
Once we knew we would both be okay, there was only one thing to do.
"Take a picture of me!"
Despite my harrowing story in which choice words were used to scare you, jumping at Black Rocks can be so much fun and very safe if you take some precautions. I would personally advise against letting children jump, even very strong swimmers. Older children could benefit still from having a parent waiting nearby in the water below -- the shore to your kid is too far if they are still underwater. I highly recommend this activity if you happen to come by the beautiful little city of Marquette, Michigan!
As always, travel (and cliff jump) safely.
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